TtH Drabbles

Move to DW

2022-05-18T20:59:03Z

For anyone still subscribed to this comm: I have finally ported it over to Dreamwidth, under the same name. Currently pondering a nostalgia round this fall, so subscribe there if you're interested!

With love for all the fun we had here,
--JB

And then there was podfic!

2016-03-16T21:22:24Z

A quick note: One of my long-ago summer drabble sequences for this comm has now been (brilliantly) podficced! Here's the link:

Facing the Music (podfic) -- podfic by blackglass (aka xdiorix) story by graycardinal

"No, worlds music, with an S."

(Or "How Xander was bounced around the multiverse by his MP3 playlist.")

Index Post: 2011 Reward Request Fic

2012-08-21T23:27:29Z

Previous reward indexes: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

In 2011, the Mod Birthday Competition had a total of 11 participants, resulting in 10 winners:

Balance of Power (AO3) for emony2
"Jim frowned, tapping his fingers on the arm of the captain's chair. Romulans. Again. Why did it have to be Romulans?"
♦ Star Trek XI
♦ James T. Kirk
♦ Prompt: Don't Rain on My Parade.

Stepping Up (AO3) for kerravonsen
"Well, people?" General Hammond said, glancing around the conference table at the current members of SG-1. "What's your verdict?"
♦ Stargate SG-1/Angel
♦ Wesley Wyndham-Pryce & SG-1
♦ Prompt: More of the Starting Over 'verse.

Persistent Illusions (AO3) for graycardinal
"No way," Castle said. "Drake Stone? 2009 Magician of the Year, Drake Stone? I had front row tickets when he was in Atlantic City."
♦ Castle/Sorcerer's Apprentice
♦ Prompt: Suppose Castle, Beckett & the 12th got the Drake Stone 'murder' case?

Where My Love Lies, Waiting (AO3) for theraces
Colonel Mitchell's description surprises a giggle out of Tara, and she instinctively covers her mouth as if to remind herself how it feels to smile.
♦ B:tVS/Stargate SG-1
♦ Tara Maclay & SG-1
♦ Prompt: A follow-up to More Jean Grey, Less Wolverine.

what we make together (a family is) (AO3) for jerseyfabulous
Xander held on to his sister's contact information for about a year before he actually sent her an email: the story of a rediscovered relationship in ten drabbles.
♦ B:tVS/CSI
♦ Xander Harris & Sara Sidle
♦ Prompt: Xander and Sara as siblings (No Barrel of Monkeys 'verse).

faithburke: added the wordcount to a 2012 request.
Herald of Doom (AO3) for avamclean
"Let she who's actually been the subject of a prophecy cast the first stone," Buffy said.
♦ B:tVS/Stargate SG-1
♦ Buffy Summers/Daniel Jackson
♦ Prompt: More of the 'The Grail Prophecies' please.

These Things We Know To Be True (AO3) for kerrykhat
It was bad enough he went off world all the time where she couldn't follow.
♦ B:tVS/Stargate SG-1
♦ Buffy Summers/Cameron Mitchell
♦ Prompt: Another story in the Ring of the Gods 'verse

We Take The Star Trek Express (AO3) for starshinedown
We wouldn't be the first demigods in space, but we would be the first half-bloods to ever visit a whole other galaxy.
♦ Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Stargate SG-1
♦ Prompt: A follow-up for To Storm or Fire

Seek, and Ye Shall Find (AO3) for rivulet027
This wasn't the first afternoon Dawn had picked a vantage point to gaze out over the water, nor the first time she'd watched living things either vanish or mysteriously detour around a specific area.
♦ B:tVS/Stargate Atlantis
♦ Dawn Summers
♦ Prompt: Someone makes a literary reference.

Still working on 2012... hopefully by year's end. And that'll be the last of them!

challenge #118

2012-04-02T17:01:34Z

Now that all the requests are in, let's return to a semiregular prompting schedule!

challenge #118: genderswap

Someone isn't the gender they were in canon-- either canon. Why? How? Or do you just want to show their altered self/selves in action? Write exactly 100 or 200 words for the prompt. Use whatever means or explanation you please; be creative and have fun. Any crossover touching the greater Buffyverse (Buffy, Angel, Fray, and/or the comic seasons) is welcome, but please post each drabble behind a cut, and tag your posts appropriately.

This challenge will run until APRIL 15.
~

2012 Request List

2012-04-02T16:53:45Z

So, all the requests have finally been made! And they're full of The Crazy as usual. *grin*

There's one left over from last year....

kerravonsen: Angel/SG-1. Wesley; more of the Starting Over series. 1,500 words.

And here's the assembled 2012 Drabblefest Winners' Request List:

faithburke: SG-1/HP. Bra'tac/McGonagall. "A romance that the students of Hogwarts will never, ever forget. (It's a good thing cats don't blush)" - 3,000 + 2,100 words.

tvashti: - B:tVS/ST XI. Oz: "Vulcans aren't always the coolest heads in battle." 2,200 words.

beer_good_foamy: B:tVS/Terminator:SCC, Buffybot & Cameron, "We're very pretty." - 1,200 words.
avamclean: B:tVS/Stargate SG-1, Buffy Summers & Daniel Jackson, "The most powerful are always the most stubborn." - 1,100 words.
kerrykhat: B:tVS/ST XI, Buffy/McCoy with the prompt: (I Won't Say) I'm In Love. - 2,000 words.
jerseyfabulous: Either a continuation of one of my B:tVS/CSI 'verses, or either or both of the Summers sisters meeting Spock and/or McCoy (B:tVS/ST XI) - 3,500 words.
maevebran: Either a sequel to symptoms of peculiar regard (B:tVS/Leverage); or more of the Watered With Blood universe - 1,000 words.

earcmacfithil: Either a fight between "closet BAMF" Giles and Eliot Spencer (B:tVS/Leverage), or "The crew of the Black Pearl failed to lift their curse and the ship is still plying the waters of the Caribbean in the late 20th century. They take Cordelia as a hostage." (B:tVS/POTC) - 1,100 words.
graycardinal: More of either Closing Pandora's Box, with Alexis talking to Martha or Beckett about it (Castle/PJO); or Where No Sorcerer Has Gone Before, with Balthazar meeting Jim or Uhura (Sorcerer's Apprentice/ST XI) - 900 words.

beatrice_otter: Angel/HP: more of either the Polaris Wyndham-Pryce or Unexpected Connections universes - 1,500 words.

kerravonsen: Give Severus Snape a happy ending while zapping him into either the ST:Reboot universe or the Star Wars universe - 1,400 words.

2012 Winners, Make Your Requests!

2012-03-13T09:13:42Z

THIS IS THE SIGNUP POST. If your name was in the winners list for the closure post? This is where you comment to specify your request.

Here are your instructions:

1.) Pick one (1) or two (2) fandoms-- and, heck, I'm not going to list them all out again. I'll be generous and say, anything I've committed more than 1000 words in over the last twelve months.

2.) Name one (1) character or one (1) pairing of any type.

3.) Give me a brief prompt or phrase. (You may specify "do not includes" also, but try to keep the list short; and I don't do NC-17 or incest at all.) Or-- you may ask for a one-shot connected to any of my eligible-fandom past works.

My available roster of fic is at the AO3. (The fandom list at the top of the profile page is especially handy for sorting purposes, if you're looking for favorites or checking which fandoms are eligible. )

Any questions or concerns? Feel free to ask. But get those requests in ASAP!
~

Index Post: 2010 Reward Request Fic

2012-03-13T08:58:00Z

Previous reward indexes: 2007 | 2008 | 2009

In 2010, the Mod Birthday Competition had a total of 12 participants, resulting in 12 winners:

Small Steps (AO3) for kerravonsen
"Colonel O'Neill has second thoughts about his team's newest acquisition... while Wesley Wyndham-Pryce wraps up a few final tasks in Los Angeles."
♦ Angel/Stargate SG-1
♦ Wesley Wyndham-Pryce & SG-1
♦ Prompt: More of the Starting Over 'verse.

emony2: added the wordcount to a 2011 request

Hypothetically Speaking (AO3) for idontlikegravy
"Greg stared at the earnest guy with the scholarly glasses and intimidating biceps, trying to make sense of what he'd just been told."
♦ Stargate SG-1/CSI
♦ Daniel Jackson and either Gil Grissom or Greg Sanders
♦ Prompt: place your bets, please.

Favored of Merlin (AO3) for avamclean
"Cam would ask what the hell a woman like that saw in Dr. Daniel Jackson, if he hadn't already seen the reaction every dangerous female ever to cross the man's path seemed to have to him."
♦ B:tVS/Stargate SG-1
♦ Buffy Summers/Daniel Jackson
♦ Prompt: A sequel to Knower of Names

Better Luck Next Time, Dr. Jackson (AO3) for flyingcarpet
"She already had two strikes against her in an environment like the SGC, just being blonde and audibly Californian, but with a name like that she really must be good at what she did for Jack and Landry to have hired her."
♦ B:tVS/Stargate SG-1
♦ Daniel Jackson
♦ Prompt: No additional prompt.

Destiny is a Dirty Word (AO3) for jerseyfabulous
"Camp Half-Blood really was a lot like high school on the Hellmouth."
♦ B:tVS/Percy Jackson and the Olympians
♦ Dawn Summers
♦ Prompt: Dawn adjusting to life at Camp Half-Blood.

Loaded For Bear (AO3) for polgara_5
"The second time I found Ms. Summers leaning against a vehicle outside my apartment, I was considerably less surprised-- and considerably more relieved-- to see her."
♦ Dresden Files (novels)/B:tVS
♦ Buffy Summers and Harry Dresden
♦ Prompt: More of the Handle With Care 'verse.

To Storm or Fire (AO3) for starshinedown
"It's been a long time since Oceanus last touched these shores," the stranger said.
♦ Stargate SG-1/Percy Jackson and the Olympians
♦ Daniel Jackson
♦ Prompt: The gods are real?

Making (Re-)Connections (AO3) for beatrice_otter
"Wesley was not sure what he would become here, the new person emerging from the shed skin of the life he'd left behind in Los Angeles-- but he was beginning to look forward to the discovery."
♦ Angel/Harry Potter
♦ More of the Polaris Wyndham-Price series

Walk No More in Shadow (AO3) for kerrykhat
"Daniel dreamed of the blonde woman with the steel-bright eyes: standing with him atop a battlement, gazing out over trampled fields toward the ominous fume of war."
♦ Stargate SG-1/B:tVS/Lord of the Rings
♦ Daniel Jackson/Buffy Summers
♦ Prompt: Reincarnation.

This Skin That I Live In (AO3) for maevebran
Lindsey stared at the demon in disbelief. "Wait a minute. What do you mean, half a soul?"
♦ Angel/Leverage
♦ Lindsey MacDonald
♦ Prompt: No additional prompt.

Closing Pandora's Box (AO3) for graycardinal
"Alexis has learned the truth: that her dad legitimately gets his capriciousness from both sides of his ancestry."
♦ Castle/Percy Jackson and the Olympians
♦ Alexis Castle
♦ Prompt: Just who was Castle's father, anyway?

2011's index will have to wait a bit; two are still pending. But hey! Only two this time! *grin*

Index Post: 2009 Reward Request Fic

2012-03-13T08:26:20Z

I'd forgotten I'd promised to finish the old winners' indexes! 2007 and 2008 indexes were posted last year; this index contains the fic written for the 2009 Mod Birthday Competition winners.

In 2009 there were a total of 15 participants, resulting in 11 winners:

idontlikegravy: added the wordcount to a 2010 request

The Path of the Righteous Man (AO3) for butterflyflame
"John wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he'd answered the knock at his apartment door. Certainly not a pair of young men in dark pea coats with ancient blue eyes."
♦ Boondock Saints/Die Hard
♦ John McClame & the Brothers McManus
♦ Prompt: I think John McClain and the brothers could clash wonderfully... or explosively... it's up to you.

A Perfect Dinner (AO3) for jerseyfabulous
"Ah, I get it," Nick said. "A soft-ball introduction to Scooby holidays, for the new guy."
♦ CSI/B:tVS
♦ Buffy Summers/Nick Stokes
♦ Prompt: More of the Grave Survivors series.

Things We Trade For Freedom (AO3) for kayleyangel
"When Ronon agreed to go with the Earthers after the Ancients claimed Atlantis, he'd expected to end up fighting Ori soldiers, not taking a tour of Sheppard's country-- or stumbling into a first contact situation as strange as anything in Pegasus."
♦ B:tVS/Stargate Atlantis
♦ Faith Lehane/Ronon Dex
♦ Prompt: Ronan ends up in Sunnydale just before The First makes his move.

Unexpected Evidence (AO3) + You Have a What? (AO3) + Amazingly Convenient Timing (AO3) for beatrice_otter
"Whether or not he was ready for it, Gil had a responsibility to this girl, and he was never one to shirk a responsibility."
♦ B:tVS/CSI
♦ Buffy Summers and Gil Grissom
♦ Prompt: More of the Time to Speak 'verse.

kerravonsen: added the wordcount to a 2010 request

Figures of Myth and Legend (AO3) for nothorse
"Helen Magnus stared incredulously at the low-quality images that had been sent over from the Tokyo branch of the Sanctuary network."
♦ B:tVS comics/Sanctuary
♦ Prompt: Season 8 Dawn doesn't need Sanctuary, but do they know that?

More Jean Grey, Less Wolverine (AO3) for rivulet027
"Jack O'Neill wasn't Loki's only unsanctioned experimental subject-- just the only one under Thor's protection."
♦ B:tVS/Stargate SG-1
♦ Tara Maclay
♦ Prompt: Someone making a comic book reference

A Wonderfully Improbable Chain of Events (AO3) for graycardinal
"Images of tattered black sails swarmed in from all around Lwaxana, crowding out any other whispers of thought."
♦ Star Trek:TNG/Pirates of the Caribbean
♦ Lwaxana Troi
♦ No additional prompt

A Faithful Narrative (AO3) for maevebran
"The real problem all this time had been that she had hurt his pride."
♦ Stargate SG-1/Pride and Prejudice
♦ Daniel Jackson/Vala Mal Doran
♦ Prompt: More of the Pride and Stargates series.

Circumventing Causality (AO3) for ladyyueh
"As a many-year veteran of the Stargate program, Rodney wasn't very impressed with John Connor's tidings of woe. He'd seen worse."
♦ Stargate Atlantis/Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
♦ Rodney McKay and John Connor
♦ Prompt: Principles of time travel.

I'll tackle 2010 next, then put up the new request post. Enjoy the read!

Mod Birthday Competition Complete!

2012-03-12T18:50:53Z

34 drabbles were posted for challenge amnesty week, in 26 crossover fandoms.

Thanks to kerravonsen, tvashti, avamclean, jerseyfabulous, maevebran, beer_good_foamy, kerrykhat, and graycardinal for playing.

challenge amnesty will continue for the next week; but the competition is done!

For lo, I am back from my birthday and pleased with your fictive offerings. *grin* We have 11 winners this year, who have earned a combined 18,000 words! So, start thinking about what you might want to request. Whatever you ask for must be a one-shot, though it can be set in the 'verse of one of my previous fic, if you want.

Your request should include: (1) one character or pairing; (2) one prompt/phrase; and (3) one fandom or cross of fandoms. I'll put the request post up later today.

I'm currently willing to write in any fandom(s) from the following list: Buffy/Angel-verse; Stargate SG-1/Atlantis; Firefly/Serenity; Eureka; Star Trek XI; Fast and the Furious series; Leverage; The Mummy/Mummy Returns; The Dresden Files; Falling Skies; Person of Interest; Terra Nova; or Grimm. (Anything else, you could try convincing me, but I give no guarantees.)

I don't do NC-17, or incest. Just about anything else is fair game. Ask here if you have questions. If you're going with a previous 'verse, my available roster of fic is most easily sorted through at the AO3.

Here are the final standings, in order of participation:

faithburke: 13/6 drabbles: has earned 2100 words of fic.
tvashti: 12/6 drabbles: has earned 2200 words of fic.
beer_good_foamy: 7/6 drabbles: has earned 1200 words of fic.
avamclean: 8/6 drabbles: has earned 1100 words of fic.
kerrykhat: 10/6 drabbles: has earned 2000 words of fic.
jerseyfabulous: 19/6 drabbles: has earned 3500 words of fic.
maevebran: 6/6 drabbles: has earned 1000 words of fic.
earcmacfithil: 6/6 drabbles: has earned 1100 words of fic.
graycardinal: 9/6 drabbles: has earned 900 words of fic.
beatrice_otter: 12/6 drabbles: has earned 1500 words of fic.
kerravonsen: 8/6 drabbles: has earned 1400 words of fic.
rivulet027: 1/6 drabbles.

... oh yeah, and jedibuttercup: 10/6 drabbles for 2000 words, lol.

#74, #106, #95, #85 - B:tVS/Terra Nova

2012-03-12T18:00:56Z

series: A Little More than One Million, B.C.
fandom: Terra Nova
disclaimer: The words are mine; the worlds are not.

notes: Spoilers specifically for TN 1.6 "Bylaw" and 1.7 "Nightfall", with bits from further episodes. These drabbles complete the series. They end before the season does; but the stories I want to tell after this point can't be reduced to this format. So. More later; but this is it for now.

title: Psychological Warfare
word count: 200
challenge: #74 - lost in translation

She tracked the Sixers until they cut Shannon loose, then broke cover.

The little girl Mira had Trojaned into the colony had refused to explain why while her brother was supposedly held hostage: so, Buffy had snuck OTG to see what was the what, against her great-nephew's orders. Only to stumble over her nominal boss getting caught doing likewise. So she'd followed along, waiting for the right moment to intervene.

He stopped and winced as he spotted her. "You."

"Me," she agreed, crossing her arms. "Well?"

"She wasn't lying this time," Shannon shrugged, hand on the boy's shoulder. "You going to arrest me for rescuing him?"

"Depends on whether you bought Mira's speech before she let you go," Buffy replied, tartly. The terrorist leader had spouted a load of Fyarl snot about Taylor and Terra Nova's true purpose. Buffy appreciated Shannon's determination to do the right thing-- but whether she could trust that depended on what he believed the right thing was.

"You trying to tell me your uncle doesn't have his own agenda, too?" he parried, skeptically.

Truthfully? She did have questions. Where the hell was Lucas, for starters.

"Fair enough," Buffy sighed. "C'mon, then. We'll talk more later."

title: Devil in the Details
word count: 200
challenge: #106 - it isn't what it looks like

Working conditions improved after Shannon and Buffy found common ground. He was surprisingly competent, and his crazy had turned out to be the canny kind. Family conditions worsened, though: Nate went all prickly on her after she brought up the subject of his missing son.

That made her hesitate when she overheard Shannon's eldest talking about meeting Mira with the barkeep while everyone else was busy solving a murder. She didn't want to rock the boat further-- or distract from the investigation-- without proof. So for the second time in as many weeks Buffy snuck outside the gates alone, tracking an idiot boy and a girl too sweet on him to be smart.

...And for the second time in as many weeks, Mira appeared to make demands, giving away more with what she didn't say than what she did. She made a heavy-handed deal with Josh to save his girlfriend back uptime-- but completely ignored Skye. No glares, no threats, not a word.

...Which made zero sense unless Mira already had enough leverage to keep her biddable. Skye Tate: Nate's foster daughter. A spy he'd never suspect?

Forget rocking the boat; Buffy was going to capsize it with that report.

title: Turning the Tide
word count: 200
challenge: #95 - swifter, higher, stronger

Nate studied his aunt, arms crossed, as everyone else scattered to his orders.

"So." He was still angry about the revelations of the last week, and her continual poking at the raw wound of Lucas' absence, but realistically he couldn't blame her for either Skye's confession of betrayal or a desire to see her other great-nephew. So he was trying to be civil. "Just how comprehensive was that augmented warrior program of yours? If there's an attack while the defenses are down...."

Buffy glanced around at the debris flung up by the second meteor's sonic wave, then frowned and-- reached. He didn't see where it came from, but an old-school weapon with a curving metal blade appeared in her hand. "I can handle it," she said-- and suddenly he could see the years in her eyes, past her distracting physical youth.

"Good," he said, gruffly. "Let's hope you don't need to."

Watching her dance with a 'saur outside the fence later on, he had cause to remember that fierce expression-- and be glad he'd trusted her enough to spread a few men out in case of a diversion.

Maybe, just maybe, his colony really did have a chance for survival.

title: All Together Now
word count: 200
challenge: #85 - making do

"They'll know by now," Skye said fretfully, curled up in a chair on the balcony outside Nate's office. "I've missed too many reports. My mother's probably...." Her face contorted.

Buffy sighed. She'd done some short-sighted things at that age herself. But seriously. Skye should have told Nate the Sixers had her mom ages ago; they might've been able to use Skye as a double agent, if not save the woman outright. "Maybe not. They won't know why, right? So they'll probably try to pressure you about the box again first."

"You think so?" Skye replied, plaintively.

"Yep," she said, remembering Kralick and her own mother. "That gives us some time; we'll think of something."

"And until then, life in Terra Nova goes on," Nate said, exiting the office. "Deputy? I believe Shannon's looking for you."

His smile was warmer than it had been, lately. He still hadn't talked about Lucas, but he seemed more-- optimistic, somehow?

Buffy decided to take that as a positive sign. They might all be learning on the job, but they wouldn't lose the past like they'd lost the future. "On my way," she smiled back, then squeezed Skye's hand and headed down into the crowd.

#78 (Amnesty) • Facing the Music, cont'd

2012-03-12T14:58:09Z

And now the conclusion....

#4 (#104) • “Little Fuzzy Animals”

Title: "Litle Fuzzy Animals"
Author: graycardinal
Rating: G
Wordcount: 100
Challenge: #78/#104 (so long, farewell...) - amnesty
Fandom: Smallville/Velveteen Vs. [see Notes]
Spoilers: None of significance. Occurs midway or so into the Smallville run (before Lex has gone totally over the edge) and following the latest entries in the "Velveteen" saga.
Disclaimer: Smallville belongs to DC and Warner Bros.; Velveteen and friends belong to Seanan McGuire; the drabble belongs to me.

////

“The security footage shows you teleporting onto my front lawn. How?”

Xander’s mind was elsewhere. “Obviously a variant continuity. If Lex is my age....”

“Answer me!”

“It isn’t the movies; the looks are totally wrong. Maybe that Superboy series....”

“You’re not answering!” Lex blinked. “Who’s Superboy?”

“Okay, really variant continuity. You’re still a billionaire genius, right?”

“Absolutely. And you’re still trespassing.”

“Totally unintentional. I’ll be going now.”

“Not before explaining—” bang! “—how you did that.” Lex shrugged. “Or not.”

#

Xander stared. A small plush army stared back. The woman wearing bunny ears said, “Friend or foe?”

“Confused.”

“Join the club.”

////

#5 (#75) • “Waltzing With Bears”

Title: "Waltzing with Bears"
Author: graycardinal
Rating: G
Wordcount: 100
Challenge: #78/#75 (small favor) - amnesty
Fandom: Velveteen Vs./Incryptid
Spoilers: None of significance. Occurs following the latest entries in the "Velveteen" saga. (See particularly "Velveteen Presents: Victory Anna vs. All These Stupid Parallel Worlds".)
Disclaimer: Both Velveteen and friends and the Incryptid universe belong to Seanan McGuire (for the latter, see the just-released book Discount Armageddon); the drabble belongs to me.

////

Velveteen found them a café. Explanations ensued. “Random dimension-jumping? Been there, done that. Only, not totally random.”

A stuffed bear handed Xander the creamer. “Neither’s mine. The genre dial’s seriously stuck on superhero.”

“If the gadget’s being difficult...”

“Could be.”

“I can borrow a raygun.”

“What kind?”

“Reality shifter. No guarantees, but it got its current owner where she needed to be.” Vel didn’t mention the eighty-six intervening transits.

“Go for it.”

An hour later, behind the shop, Vel fired. “Good luck!”

#

She was blonde, athletic, and well-armed, but:

“You’re not Buffy!”

“Verity Price. And you?”

“Still not home, darnit.”

////

#6 (#116) • “Home on the Range”

Title: "Home on the Range"
Author: graycardinal
Rating: G
Wordcount: 100
Challenge: #78/#116 (home sweet home) - amnesty
Fandom: Incryptid/BtVS
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: The Incryptid universe belongs to Seanan McGuire (see the just-released book Discount Armageddon); the Jossverse belongs to Hollywood; the drabble belongs to me.

////

Over more coffee, Verity listened. “Let me see that playlist.”

Xander surrendered the player. “Be careful.”

“Obviously.” She pulled its headphones, studying. “No sound, no poof.”

“You hope.”

Verity grinned. “Some of these are TV themes. And the others – of course you popped in halfway into orbit!”

“It’s the titles?”

“Looks like it.”

“So ‘Waltzing with Bears’ pointed me at you.”

“Totally. Just don’t ask why.”

“If you say so. What now?”

“We download a classic.”

Xander thwacked his forehead. “I’m an idiot.”

“But cute,” said Verity, as he banged out.

#

“Where’ve you been?” Dawn demanded.

“You have no idea.”

///////

Notes

The Velveteen Vs. universe is a series of online stories by Seanan McGuire. Offering a complete listing is somewhat complicated by the fact that the stories appear in three distinct places: Seanan's dedicated Web site, her professional Livejournal, and her unofficial fannish Livejournal (note that this last includes both Velveteenish and non-Velveteenish things, owing to the state of the tags Over There). [With respect to the fannish LJ, it's also appropriate to note that while it is in no way a Big Secret, references to it are not and should not be made on the professional LJ in order to preserve its fannishness.] As a rule, the fannish LJ gets new Velveteen material first, then the pro LJ, then (eventually) the Web site.

#78 (Amnesty) • Facing the Music

2012-03-12T06:22:44Z

Time being what it is, I'm going to post what I have now, with the second half of this to follow as fast as I can get them up. These are the first three of yet another "six degrees" sequence (can you tell how much that format amuses me by now?).

#1 (#98) • "Call Me, Beep Me"

Title: "Call Me, Beep Me"
Author: graycardinal
Rating: G
Wordcount: 100
Challenge: #78/#98 (not again!) - amnesty
Fandom: BtVS/Kim Possible
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: The Jossverse belongs to Hollywood; the Kim Possible universe belongs to Disney; the drabble belongs to me.

////

“New tunes?” asked Dawn.

“New player,” said Xander. “Real bargain, too – lots of stuff preloaded.”

“Such as?”

Xander studied the device. “Oldies, reggae, worlds music—”

“You mean world music, right?”

“No, worlds music, with an S.” He tapped controls. “Cool! Sounds like—” There
was a bang! of inrushing air as he disappeared, a gray business card floating floorward where he’d been.

“ER Technics,” Dawn read.

Buffy groaned. “Ethan Rayne. Not again!”

#

Xander blinked. “Primary colors. Two-D architecture. “Holy Bat-disasters, I’ve been tooned!”

“Doc? That’s not Princess. Or the buffoon,” a sultry female voice said behind him.

“He’ll do. Grab him!”

#2 (#109) • “Fly Me to the Moon”

Title: "Fly Me to the Moon"
Author: graycardinal
Rating: G
Wordcount: 100
Challenge: #78/#109 (under the stars) - amnesty
Fandom: Kim Possible/Gargoyles
Spoilers: None. Set nominally during Season 4 of Kim Possible, and necessarily occurs in mid-series with respect to Gargoyles, to allow for access to a certain artifact.
Disclaimer: The Jossverse belongs to Hollywood; the Gargoyles universe belongs to Disney (and Greg Weisman); the drabble belongs to me.

////

“And so,” Dr. Drakken finished, some hours later, “soon I shall rule the world!”

Xander frowned. “I’ll give the rant an eight, but the evil plan? Three at best.”

“Your words hurt, stand-in buffoon.”

A blond form hurtled from above, followed by its pants. “Nobody stands in for Ron Stoppable! Also, ow!”

Xander eyed Ron. “Sidekick?”

“Partner. And distraction.”

A voice near Xander’s ankle squeaked. “Yours?”

He claimed his player from the naked mole rat. “Thanks! Later!”

The music started; Xander disappeared.

#

Manhattan by starlight:

“Still animated, check. Sixty stories up, check. Falling, check. HELLLP!”

Help swooped.

Xander fainted.

#3 (#79) • “Save Me”

Title: "Save Me"
Author: graycardinal
Rating: G
Wordcount: 100
Challenge: #78/#79 (movie monsters) - amnesty
Fandom: Gargoyles/Smallville
Spoilers: None. Set somewhere in the middle of the Smallville run.
Disclaimer: The Jossverse belongs to Hollywood; the Smallville universe belongs to DC and Warner Bros.; the drabble belongs to me.

////

A Manhattan rooftop:

“You’re a gargoyle!”

“Aye,” said Hudson.

“But you saved me!”

“Aye.”

“I thought gargoyles were...monsters.”

A deep sigh. “Aye. And now?”

“Not so much.”

“There ye are, then.” Hudson spread his wings.

“Um...?”

“Aye?”

“I need directions.” Xander indicated the player. “It’s magic. Or maybe cursed.”

Hudson sighed again. “Come along.”

#

Lexington shrugged. “I can’t fix it. But maybe the Phoenix Gate can.”

“That sounds risky.”

“And your alternative is?”

“Touché.”

Several Latin incantations later: “Here goes!” Bang!

#

“Ow!” A pause. “Live-action universe! And a castle!”

A guard appeared. “Mr. Luthor won’t like this.”

“Luthor? Uh-oh.”

Event: Amnesty

2012-03-12T04:27:07Z

Series Title: The Beginning is the End is the Beginning
Fandom: Buffy/Doctor Who
Challenge: #90 - Beginnings and Endings
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all related characters; the BBC owns "Doctor Who" and all related characters; I own nothing.
Summary: The Toclafane's arrival was the beginning of the end of the world.
Note: Spoilers for series 3 of Doctor Who. Line at the end of the first drabble borrowed from BSG. Titles come from the Smashing Pumpkins song of the same name.

Title: The Beginning is the End
Word Count: 200

“So what do we do?” Faith asks when the Toclafane finally leave. They’re standing at the edge of the magical shelter the Council built years ago. Designed for apocalypses, it’s become their sanctuary these last few days.

Willow stands beside her, a worried look on her face. They’ve managed to reestablish contact with several other branches, but that’s not what has Willow on edge. Xander had been out on a training exercise when the world started to end, this time from an alien. Despite their best efforts, nobody has been able to reach him.

The destruction the Toclafane have unleashed under that mad man—that mad alien—Harold Saxon is like nothing she’s ever seen. Not even in her nightmares could she imagine the gleeful metal balls of death happily culling the population. She’s the Slayer. She’s done battle with the First Evil over the fate of the world. Yet this, the sheer amount of destruction is out of the realm of her imagination.

And it terrifies her.

She glances over at her sister, who stares back unblinkingly. Dawn’s eyes glint determinedly, and she’s decided.

“We fight,” Buffy answers, finally finding her voice. “We fight until we can’t any more.”

Title: The End is the Beginning
Word Count: 200

“B?” Faith calls out into the darkened room. “It’s time.”

A shadow detaches itself and Buffy slips out to where Faith stands, the harsh light accentuating her gaunt features.

The year under the Master’s rule hasn’t been kind to any of them, but it had been hardest on Buffy. For a while, it looked like they would make it through, especially after they heard the stories from Martha Jones. The woman who was going to save the world with her words and her faith.

And then Dawn had died, caught by the Toclafane while on a supply run. Buffy withdrew, and for a week, Faith’d been worried they’d lose the surviving Summers sister as well.

“Do you think it’ll work?” Faith asks as the clock ticked closer and closer to the appointed time. “Martha’s plan to beat the Master?”

Buffy nods.

“It has to,” she answers softly. “Because otherwise, what was the point?”

The clock moves closer and closer, and finally, it’s time.

“Doctor,” they both mutter, thinking of Martha’s stories. “Doctor. Doctor…”

“What the hell is going on with the prime minister?” Faith asks from her spot next to B, watching Saxon’s press conference. “What the fuck just happened?”

Title: Misguided Ghosts
Fandom: Angel/The Unusuals
Challenge: #93 - Mistaken Identity
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all related characters; Noah Hawley owns "The Unusuals" and all related characters; I own nothing.
Summary: Kate Lockley looked up at the sound of the bell in the front of the shop..
Note: Can I have a "The Unusuals" tag please?
Word Count: 200

Kate Lockley looked up at the sound of the bell in the front of the shop. Sighing, she made her way up to greet or shoot the customer. You never knew in New York.

Kate had relocated after her failed suicide attempt, needing to escape LA and start over. She’d bought an antique shop, and set about learning as much as she could about the supernatural community. She missed LA, but New York was growing on her.

“How may I…” she started before seeing the man before her. In a smooth motion, she grabbed the crossbow beneath the counter and aimed at him. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

Standing before her was the spitting image of Penn. Of course, this guy now had a gun pointed at her… and was in the ray of light offered by the window. So not a vampire, but Kate wasn’t taking any chances.

“I’m Detective Jason Walsh, NYPD,” he answered tersely.

“Badge,” she ordered.

Gun not wavering, he fished out his badge one-handedly. She studied it, before nodding and lowering the crossbow.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “You look just like some psycho I tangled with back in LA. How can I help you?”

Title: Going North
Fandom: Buffy/Mercedes Thompson Series
Challenge: #71 - A Truth and a Lie
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all related characters; Patricia Briggs owns "The Mercedes Thompson Series" and all related characters; I own nothing.
Summary: Mercy studied the girl before her, trying to decide what to do.
Word Count: 200

Mercy studied the girl before her, trying to decide what to do. The diminutive blonde stared back at her, shoulders hunched in her thin grey jacket.

Mercy had found her curled up on the shop’s stoop, trying to stay out of the late spring rain. Originally, Mercy was just going to give the girl some food and a place to stay dry, but there was something off about her. Something that was making her inner coyote curious.

“What’s your name?” she finally asked, breaking the silence. “And how old are you?”

“Anne,” the girl answered quietly after a slight hesitation. “And I’m 18.”

Even if Mercy hadn’t been able to smell lies, she would've recognized this in a heartbeat.

“So, Anne, any reason you’re hanging around my shop?”

“Just looking for work.”

Not a lie, but not the full truth either.

“My assistant’s gone for the summer, and I need help around the shop,” Mercy said, decision made. “Get changed, and we’ll discuss terms for a trial week over lunch.”

Anne nodded, her face still wary. “Thank you,” she answered.

Watching the girl go into the bathroom, Mercy sighed and rubbed her forehead. Just what had she gotten herself into?

Last set of Amnesty Drabbles

2012-03-12T02:26:40Z

Title: No One Expects
Author: Grundy
Word Count: 6 x 200
Challenge: #078 - Six Degrees of Crossing Over
Disclaimer: I did not create nor do I own these characters.
Fandom: BtVS/Sherlock/Law&Order UK/CSI/Big Bang Theory/BSG/BtVS
Author's Note: I wanted to get one last Six Degrees in before Amnesty Week ended. This one is six drabbles in which someone does something unexpected.

Title: The Center Cannot Hold
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Sherlock

Dawn giggled as she watched Sherlock try his fighting skills out against another group of baby Slayers. He was going to get his arse handed to him again, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

Having him at Slayer Central while he rode out the aftermath of Moriarty’s death was working out better than Dawn had expected when Mycroft Holmes twisted her arm into doing this. At least, it was working better for the Slayers and Sherlock.

It was hell on Dawn, though. She felt awful about lying to John. (Even if it was more withholding information than lying. He was going to be furious.) She was the one who confronted the evidence of how badly John was taking Sherlock’s ‘death’- it was real for him. He was falling apart, and Dawn couldn’t avoid seeing it on a daily basis. Sherlock, for all he didn’t deal well with neurotypical human emotion, had only been able to handle seeing it once. After that, he’d stayed away.

Sherlock rationalized it, of course. Said it was for John’s own good. Dawn knew better. It was because he didn’t trust himself not to break down and end this torture for all three of them.

Title: Biting the Bullet
Word Count: 200
Fandom: Sherlock/Law & Order: UK

Sherlock frowned.

“Where’s Lestrade?”

“DI Lestrade is on holiday, sir,” the older detective told him. “I’m DS Brooks and this is my partner DS Casey.”

Sam gave a politely neutral smile, trying to conceal that he didn’t like this one bit. What the hell did they need an outside consultant for? He knew, though, that if he said it out loud and ruined this meeting, DI Chandler would have his arse.

“Former alcoholic, been sober several years, but recently tempted to take up drink again, probably when your partner was killed. Not completely sure about this young pup the Yard’s saddled you with, though he’s not entirely fond of you either.”

“Sherlock…” Alesha said warningly. She’d dealt with him before. He might be a royal pain, but he got results- usually results that would get convictions.

“Right, I’m on my best behavior, because otherwise you’ll leave me to my countryside boredom,” he replied resignedly. “Let’s have it then.”

“Let’s have it?” Sam repeated incredulously.

“You wouldn’t have driven all the way out to Gloucestershire if you weren’t desperate. You’ve hit a dead end. Your choice is go against the grain and let me try or wait until he kills again.”

Title: Something's Bugging Me
Word Count: 200
Fandom: Law & Order: UK/CSI

“We’re in luck, guv,” Ronnie said cheerfully. “Turns out one of the world’s leading experts on bugs that like corpses is in town. He’s giving a seminar over at Queen Mary. Thought we’d pop over and ask Dr. Grissom if he might have a look at our evidence.”

DI Chandler sighed.

“Two outside consultants on the case now? CPS is going to have a fit. Go before I change my mind.”

The two detectives waited outside the lecture theatre until the students had filed out before they approached.

“Dr. Grissom? Detective Sergeants Brooks and Casey. Wondered if we might have a word, sir?”

Gil Grissom nodded.

“We were hoping you might be able to look at some evidence in a case we’re currently pursuing.”

Grissom glanced at the photos and information in the folder they handed over.

“You know, I saw something like this once before,” he said. “The killer was aware of modern forensics and brought his own bugs to throw off the police timeline. It almost worked.”

“He brought his own bugs?” Casey asked, shaking his head in astonishment.

“Never underestimate the lengths people will go to when they’ve reached the end of their tether, son,” Ronnie advised.

Title: A Real Friend
Word Count: 200
Fandom: CSI/Big Bang Theory

Sara ducked out of the room. As soon as the door was safely shut behind her, she burst into laughter.

“It’s not that funny,” Morgan said. She’d been observing the interrogation from the safety of the two-way glass.

“Come on,” Sara gasped. “It totally is.”

“Sara, he helped his friend hide a body!”

“Because he was contractually required to!”

Morgan shook her head. If she didn’t know both their suspects were theoretical physicists, she’d have thought they escaped from a lunatic asylum.

“What kind of fruitcake puts that in their rental agreement?”

“Ah hem! I can hear you, you know! And it’s not the rental agreement, it’s the roommate agreement. The roommate agreement covers all contingencies!”

The two women looked at each other.

“How the hell did he hear us from in there?” Morgan whispered.

“Because, ladies, Dr. Cooper has exceptionally sharp hearing,” a new voice said.

“D.B…” Sara began.

“It doesn’t matter right now. We know he hid the body, but do we think that he or Hofstadter actually killed the victim?”

“Honestly?” Morgan asked. “I’m pretty sure if Dr. Hofstadter hasn’t killed Dr. Cooper after living with him for five years, he’s too even tempered to kill anyone.”

Title: Our Lady Of The Nerds
Word Count: 200
Fandom: Big Bang Theory/BSG

Sheldon regarded his visitor with some suspicion. It was true he’d overheard Howard telling Leonard about it, but he’d never thought that something like this could happen to him.

“I don’t understand. I am in a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler. She forced me to upgrade our friendship agreement to a relationship agreement. Why are you appearing unto me? Shouldn’t you be talking to Leonard or Raj?”

Starbuck sighed. This was honestly the worst afterlife ever, stuck as some sort of patron saint of lovelorn geeks who didn’t know how to act on it. Granted, she’d probably done plenty in her life to deserve it, but still. After that Wolowitz guy in the bathtub, any possible penance ought to be done and over with.

“Because, Sheldon Cooper, reluctant though you may be to admit it, you are a normal human male, and you have the same emotions and urges as the rest of the species.”

“You’re saying I’m attracted to a girl?” Sheldon’s voice cracked with outrage. “That’s outrageous! I am a scientist!”

“Well, that or you have split personalities and one of them wants to get it on with your neighbor across the hall,” Starbuck snapped. “Which is it?”

Title: Somebody Had To Say It
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BSG/BtVS

Starbuck smirked. Apollo was in for it. Buffy ‘Slayer’ Summers was furious with him, and unlike Starbuck, she didn’t have a history of striking superior officers, which meant if she did happen to wipe the deck with him, she might have to spend a few hours in hack, but that would probably be the end of it.

SMACK!

Lee went sprawling at the first hit.

“Apollo, you need to get your head out of your ass,” Buffy said. “I realize it’ll be something new for you, but who knows, you might like it.”

“You are so out of line,” Lee snarled, scrambling to his feet. “What happened with Starbuck before patrol does not concern you.”

“Am I?” Buffy demanded. “I don’t think so. When you act like a jerk because you missed your moment and Gaius Frakking Baltar didn’t, that concerns me. When you tear my friend down because you’re an immature idiot who doesn’t know when to speak up, that concerns me. But most of all, when you affect other pilots’ combat readiness with your issues, that concerns me, because that puts us all in danger. Sort your head out, Apollo. Or I’ll take this to the Old Man.”

Note: Ok, maybe Buffy's actions aren't so unexpected, but it was still satisfying to let her hit him.

More Amnesty Drabbles

2012-03-12T00:57:06Z

Title: The Sublet Sublimation
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Big Bang Theory
Challenge: #101 - Paperwork
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected that subletting from Dr. Hofstadter while he was on a ten-month research assignment in Switzerland would involve quite this much paperwork. She frowned as she perused some of the more arcane items.

Then she reached for her red pen.

“Most of these stipulations will be acceptable, Dr. Cooper, but some are not and a few are outright dangerous.”

She ignored Cooper’s noise of outrage as she began to strike items that no Watcher in their right mind would agree to, such as the vampire attack protocol and the zombie apocalypse corollary.

“You are subletting from Leonard, that means you have to agree-“

“Oddly enough, Dr. Cooper, the sublease I signed with Dr. Hofstadter didn’t mention any further paperwork being necessary, nor did he mention the quite frankly lethal accident waiting to happen that is the procedure in this roommate agreement for how to handle vampires.”

Seeing that Cooper had paused, she went in for the kill.

“Now, if you’re willing to be reasonable, we can negotiate a more sensible vampire attack protocol far more likely to result in surviving said attack. If not, well, I know a guy who owns a law firm…”

Title: Vegas, Baby
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/CSI
Challenge: #90 - Beginnings and Endings
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Anya doesn’t miss magic as much as she thought she would. Sure, there are days when the lack of the supernatural makes her skin itch. But mostly it’s a minor annoyance compared to the loss of her friends and the life she had built with Xander. She’s learned to lean on technology instead of magic to compensate. She couldn’t even program the TiVo before. Here, she could probably build one. That, plus centuries of memories about bloody creative violent death made her decide to go into crime scene investigation. It seemed right.

She started out in this Sunnydale when she arrived after dying in her Sunnydale. It was strange to live there with no vampires or demons. She was constantly looking around for Buffy and the Scoobies. She realized that wasn’t healthy, so she applied for a transfer to LAPD as soon as she had enough experience under her belt.

But even in LA she was still looking for people she'd known. Which is why, when Morgan called and asked if she’d be interested in applying for a position opening up in Las Vegas, she jumped at the opportunity. She’s going to make this whole new beginning thing really work.

Title: Hold On To This
Word Count: 100
Fandom: BtVS/BSG
Rating: FR15/FR18?
Challenge: #97 - Golden Moments
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Faith grinned as she slumped onto Apollo’s chest.

“Gotta tell you, Leland, you got some skills,” she purred.

She felt more than heard his answering chuckle.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he replied.

Faith gave his chest an absentminded kiss, more focused on her current post-coital bliss than on banter.

“I do my best.”

It was moments like this that made life in the Fleet bearable, but the longer they were out in deep space, the fewer and farther between they were. Which was why Faith didn’t want to think or talk, but just to bask as long as possible.

Amnesty double drabbles

2012-03-11T10:12:10Z

Four People Who Failed Their Watcher Training (And One Who Didn’t)

So, after the events of “Chosen”, obviously the gang needs to hire some new Watchers to help take care of all the new Slayers. Some work out. Most... don’t.

Disclaimer: This is strictly for fun/parody purposes and no money has or ever will change hands.
Oh, and mods, we're going to need new Farscape, Top Gear and Scrubs tags.

Title: Using Force
Word count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Farscape
Challenge: 93: Mistaken identity

Using Force

Eventually they sent in the heavy artillery to talk to Andrew about the new Watcher-in-training. The heavy artillery being Spike.

“Look, Andrew... I know you mean the best for the girls, and I know what it’s like to wish something were true. But you have to face that this bloke isn’t who you think he is.”

Inside the meeting room behind them, they could hear the object of their discussion handing out orders to a group of Slayers, and the groans and protests that followed.

Andrew swallowed. “I-I knew it was too good to be true, but he looked so much like him... Why is life never fair, Spike?”

“Sometimes it is.” Spike put a supportive hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “I promise. This just isn’t one of those times.”

“No. He’s... really not Yoda, is he?”

They heard the Watcher-in-training repeat his request, and one of the Slayers apparently had enough.

”Unhand me, wench! I am your better! I- No! Woah! WOOOOOOAH!”

There was a punting noise, and Rygel XVI came flying out the door to the meeting room, farting helium all the way.

“Search your feelings, Andrew,” Spike said in a high-pitched squeak. “You know it to be true.”

Title: Ambitious But Rubbish
Word count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Top Gear
Challenge: 108: Out for a drive
Warning: Character undeath

Ambitious But Rubbish

The Watcher-in-training held up his hands defensively. "Now, before you get your knickers in a - "

Buffy’s look shut him up. "You were hired because you said you knew about surviving and fighting evil..."

"We beat the Germans fair and square."

"... not to pimp the bus."

"But just imagine: there's a nest of vampires in Detroit, you need to get there immediately, so you get in the new and improved bus and VOOM. What could possibly go wrong?"

Buffy looked at the former Sunnydale school bus, which now resembled a 60-foot jet-engine-powered boat holding two persons, tops. "You're so fired, Clarkson."

“Now, before you make any rash decisions, let’s see how it performs. For that, we need a test driver.” A man in a white racing suit and helmet stepped out behind Jeremy. “Some say he cannot cross running water, and that if you drop a bag of seeds, he has to stop and count them. All we know is - “

“ - He’s wearing a sunproof suit.” Buffy flipped up the helmet’s visor, and the Stig promptly dusted. “Thought so.”

“Oh dear.” Jeremy stared at the pile of ashes. “The BBC said they’d have me killed if I lost another one.”

Title: Bavarian Fire Department
Word count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Scrubs
Challenge: 105: Movie titles: The Killing Floor

Bavarian Fire Department

"Everybody to the bus! NOW! This is NOT a drill, people!" Kennedy loved drills. Have the Slayers get out of bed in the middle of the night, get dressed ("MOVE MOVE MOVE!"), grab their weapons, sprint down the hall -

"Wooooooah!" "Look out!" "What the - " "Fuuuuuu-" The pile of Slayers slid in a most disorderly fashion across the newly waxed floor and piled up against the far wall. "Ow."

The new Watcher-in-training stepped out of the shadows, mop in hand. "Didn't you see the WET FLOOR sign?"

"What sign?" Kennedy looked around the pitch-dark hallway. “Did you remove all the lightbulbs?"

"...Maybe."

“That’s it.” Kennedy snatched the mop away from him. “I don’t care if Buffy thinks we might need that squirrel army you say you have, I’m marching to Personnel and ripping up your file right now.”

“Really.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Right. I know a bureaucrat when I see one, and I’m willing to bet young Miss Summers has filed everything alphabetically by name. What’s my name?”

Kennedy just stared at him.

“Thought not. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to clean this mess up. Thank you.” The Janitor took his mop back and started polishing the floor again.

Title: That Chick Knows What I Like
Word count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/How I Met Your Mother
Challenge: 70: Double Trouble
Warning: Selfcest
Pairing: Willow/Lily

That Chick Knows What I Like

“Wow.” Willow collapsed onto her pillow, then reached out and tenderly brushed a strand of hair from the Watcher-in-training's sweaty face. "You're sure you're not a vampire?"

"If you're sure you're not a stripper," Lily Aldrin panted, tracing a finger up Willow’s jawline. "Professionally, I mean."

They lay in bed, slowly relaxing and trying to find a way of looking at and touching themse... uh, each other that didn't feel weird. "So... now what?" Willow asked after counting freckles for a while.

"I don't know. I always wanted to try this, and it was great and all, but..."

"But But has a name?"

"Marshall."

"Which I'm guessing isn't short for Marsha."

Lily shook her head.

"Oh. Well... I think we might be in ruley exception land here. And this was totally a one-off thing, I'm sure we can work together e-even if we can’t seem to..."

"Hang on, I really gotta check something." Lily dove under the covers to see if that thing did the same thing for Willow as it did for her. (It did, to a disturbing degree of similarity.)

Darnit. School teachers make such good Watchers, too.

Title: Effing The Ineffable
Word count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Dexter
Challenge: 106: It isn’t what it looks like!
Warning: Foul language

Effing The Ineffable

Buffy took in the scene in the training room with dawning horror. "What happened?"

"Dode of your busidess, B." Faith lay on the couch, pale with shock and nursing a severe nosebleed.

Dawn ignored Faith's death glare. "It was the new Watcher-in-training, Morgan. Faith said something less than flattering about cops, and she let Faith have it."

Buffy regarded Faith, who looked utterly traumatised. "Please tell me Morgan's still alive."

"I didet touch her," Faith muttered.

“Lucky for her. What the hell was she thinking, punching Faith?”

“Oh, she didn’t,” Dawn laughed. “She just... found Faith’s Achilles heel.”

“That beads weak spot, B.”

“I know what it means. How?”

Dawn yelled “DEB?"

"Fuck d'you want?" Deborah Morgan poked her head around the door.

"Tell Buffy what you told Faith."

"I just called her a ..." There’s really no reason to repeat every R-rated invective Deb used; suffice to say that it took her about two minutes to run through the list. "...and told her to fucking stop fucking wasting my fucking time. Then she blushed so hard her nose bled and passed the fuck out." Thud. “Like she did just now.”

"Uh-huh." Buffy nodded to Dawn. "She’s hired."

Event- Amnesty

2012-03-11T10:05:27Z

Title: Paperwork
Author: Maeve Bran
Word Count: 200
Challenge:#101 Paperwork
Fandom: Marvel Movie Universe (The Avengers)
Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor anything in the Marvel Movie Universe. I'm just borrowing them for a little unprofitable fun.
Summary: Buffy realizes she's working for the Government when she gets a stack of paperwork.
Notes: Set in the same verse as "Not So Secret", "Deadly Dancing","A Sparring Partner", and "Home Sweet Home"

Buffy sat at the table, contemplating the paperwork she had just been handed. Now she knew she was working for some Government agency- the paperwork gave it away. She just hoped Giles was right that S.H.I. E.L.D. was different from the Initiative.

“Need a hand with that?” Steve asked as he came into the room.

“I thought you left with everyone else,” Buffy observed.

“I did but then realized that you weren’t with us, so I came back,” Steve said with a smile. “Can’t leave a member of the team behind.”

“I was just looking over this stuff, seeing what I was getting into,” Buffy said.

“I thought the fight yesterday was a good example of what we’re up against,” Steve said.

“Fighting is something I’m used to, Captain,” Buffy said with a smile. “I’ve been fighting things bigger and stronger than me since I was fifteen. It’s the paperwork I’m not used to.”

Steve looked at her in astonishment. What kind of world was this future that had fifteen year old girls fight it’s battles? “Call me Steve,” He suggested. “And I can help with the paperwork, if you want it.”

“I’d like that, Steve,” Buffy smiled at him.

Title: The Land of the Living
Author: Maeve Bran
Word Count: 200
Challenge:#110 Burning the Candle at Both Ends
Fandom: Marvel Movie Universe (The Avengers)
Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor anything in the Marvel Movie Universe. I'm just borrowing them for a little unprofitable fun.
Summary: Buffy gets in from slaying and runs into Steve getting coffee.
Notes: Set in the same verse as "Not So Secret", "Deadly Dancing","A Sparring Partner", and "Home Sweet Home"

Buffy walked into the kitchen like a zombie. This business of meetings at eight am after a night of slaying was getting old. Not that she needed to slay, but once a Slayer always a Slayer. Sometimes just going out and staking a few vamps would clear her head.

She zeroed into the coffee pot and poured herself a cup on automatic pilot. She didn’t see that she wasn’t alone until she ran into the chest of Captain America.

“What are you doing up?” Steve asked as he steadied her.

“I’m just getting in,” Buffy said. “I just needed to get out and slay something. What about you?”

“I don’t sleep well,” Steve said. “Something about a seventy year nap makes sleep these days superfluous.”

“I bet,” Buffy said as she sipped her coffee. “Coming back from the dead does a number on one’s sleep doesn’t it?”

Steve gaped at her.

“Not that being ripped out of Heaven and being thawed from being frozen for seventy years are exactly the same but still I have some experience trying to readjust to life again” Buffy said. “If you want to talk you know where to find me.” She left the room.

Amnesty Drabbles

2012-03-11T05:57:28Z

Not sure if I'll get another few done or not, but I thought I'd go ahead and post these now.

Title: Worth Fighting For
Word Count: 100
Fandom: BtVS/LotR
Challenge: #116 - Home Sweet Home
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Eomer was looking at her like this should be a difficult decision, but it really wasn’t.

“Yes.”

One simple word, clearly not the one he’d expected. He’d never understood. It might not be where she was born, but Rohan is the closest to home she’s been since she was called. Here she is safe, here she is loved. Here she is allowed to be just herself, with no one expecting more. They’ve never demanded anything of her.

Which is why this fight is hers, and she will win or die. Either way, the darkness will fear her before she’s done.

Title: It's On
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/Percy Jackson
Challenge: #96 - Mythic Adventures
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Having dealt with all the easy topics, the meeting finally got around to the most serious item. All eyes turned to Dawn, who as usual, had the unenviable task of delivering the bad news to her sister. On the bright side, she had collected a ridiculous number of favors from the other cabins in return- Cabin Two would not be doing chores anytime soon.

“Right, Buffy, the reason everyone’s gone quiet and is trying not to back away, is that your boyfriend’s gone missing, and we don’t think it was his idea. Smart money is on Gaea being behind it.”

She watched the rest of the counselors eye Buffy the way they would a Cabin Six booby trap.
Buffy frowned. The room held its collective breath.

“You’re telling me the reason Thanatos has not called me in three weeks is because some stupid skank of a goddess has abducted him?”

Xander was smirking at her tone, and Piper looked smug. Buffy turned to Annabeth, who raised an expectant eyebrow.

“You wanted to know what effect a Slayer would have on those giants? You’ll probably get your wish. Me, I’d like to find out what effect a Slayer has on Gaea.”

Title: Hello and Goodbye
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/NCIS
Challenge: #104 - So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Xander did his best to blend into the background. He felt so awkward and out of place, even though Caitlin’s adoptive parents had hugged him and told him tearfully she would have been so happy he was here.

He hadn’t found out about his older sister until after his parents’ death. Jessica’s safe deposit box had been held in Oxnard. Their wills and a copy of the court decree terminating Anthony and Jessica Harris’ parental rights had been the box.

It hadn’t been too difficult to locate her- he was her sibling, he had her birthdate, and the date his parents had lost her. Turned out Mom’s drinking problem used to be a lot worse- she’d been in the system since birth. His parents could have found her anytime after she’d turned eighteen, if they’d wanted.

He’d been nervous about contacting her. He had no idea what she knew about her birth family. He’d written to her first, then called when she’d indicated that would be ok. It had gone well. She’d sounded nice. He’d made her laugh. They’d arranged to meet in person in DC today.

Instead, he attended her funeral, face to face only for a final farewell.

event: amnesty

2012-03-07T03:52:46Z

Series Title: Until Morning
Writer: avamclean
Rating: FR13
Fandom: Supernatural, BtVS
Challenge :: #071 A Truth and A Lie (amnesty)
Disclaimer: Supernatural and all related characters are copyright of Eric Kripke, Kripke Enterprises & The CW Network. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters are copyright of Joss Whedon, and ME. No infringement intended.

Title: A Truth
Word Count: 100

Sam fingered the picture he’d found shoved to the back of the glove compartment. A confused line appearing between his brows as he studied a woman with blonde hair and a smile that didn’t quite reach her green eyes. She was more the adequate in the looks department, but she wasn’t at the level of the women Dean usually went after.

The driver’s side door opened and Dean slid behind the wheel as Sam lifted the photo and teased, “What’s this?”

Dean leaned over, snatching it out of Sam’s grasp and tucked it safely behind the visor before snapping, “Home.”

Title :: A Lie
Word Count :: 100

He’d filled her doorway after months of nothing, nothing but unanswered messages and ignored texts. She’d thought him dead, rotting in some abandoned home in nowhere Midwest America, where she couldn’t get to him, but he was alive. The hand cupping the back of her neck was gentle, but the mouth slanted over hers was demanding and just this side of punishing as he walked her backwards into her home.

She broke the kiss to ask him what was wrong, her gaze searching his before Dean dragged her, his breath warm as he whispered, “Nothing,” and claimed her mouth again.

Amnesty #114 - Ballare, BtVS/Nightwing

2012-03-07T03:52:23Z

Title: Ballare
Word Count: 100
Fandom: BtVS, Nightwing
Challenge: #114, dance
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the words, and that's probably up for philosophical debate.
Summary: Buffy's battle-trained mind makes a logical leap.
Notes: The prequel to that Batman/Nightwing story already posted for #116. Title and scene inspired by this Cirque du Soleil performance.

It’s when the "lovers" link arms – held aloft by silk wrapped around their middle, fluttering between their legs, spinning high above – that Buffy knows who Nightwing is. She’s been held as intimately in arms as deeply corded as the aerialists’. She’s even shaken that hand in non-official capacities when his boss had introduced their office to her and Giles and Dawn.

So if Grayson, circus acrobat orphan, was the masked Nightwing, Buffy thought she could guess who the older man sitting next to him was, watching the act even more intently.

#113 - Secrets (Harry Potter/Buffy)

2012-03-06T03:06:23Z

Title: Secrets
Word count: 200
Fandom: Harry Potter/Buffy
Challenge: #113 - Secrets
Summary: A spy has many secrets.
Disclaimer: Universes not mine. Words mine.
Notes: This is part of my "In Truth, Beauty" series. All you need to know is that it's a Snape/Anya pairing.
I actually wrote this one when the fest started, but didn't manage to get it in on time for the "Secrets" week.

Severus Snape had many secrets.

There were the secrets he kept from Voldemort. That he was a double agent. That his Patronus was a doe. That he really had loved Lily. That he hated everything that Voldemort stood for. That he would rather die than see Voldemort win.

There were the secrets he kept from Dumbledore. Actually, there were no secrets he kept from Dumbledore.

There were the secrets he kept from everyone else. That his hair was greasy and his teeth were yellow and crooked because the youngest teacher in the school needed to do something to fend off amorous students. That Lily had been his best friend in childhood. That his father was a drunk who had beaten his wife and child. That the apothecary he bought most of his potions ingredients from was a Muggle woman called Anya Jenkins who ran a shop with the dubious name of "The Magic Box".

Then there were the secrets he kept from himself.

Anya? True, she loved potions. She wasn't ugly. She wasn't a dunderhead. She wasn't holier-than-thou. She was appallingly, entertainingly straightforward. He could talk with her without wanting to hex her. That didn't mean that he loved her.

last week: challenge amnesty!

2012-03-05T18:03:31Z

15 drabbles were posted for challenge 117, lost in translation, in 13 crossover fandoms.

Thanks to kerravonsen, tvashti, faithburke, graycardinal, earcmacfithil, and jerseyfabulous for playing.

That gives us eight winners so far; but there's still a week left to participate! Which brings us to:

challenge amnesty week

For the last week of the 2012 Mod Birthday Competition, write exactly 100 or 200 words featuring your chosen Buffy or Angel-verse character(s) and some variation on one of the prompts listed below (all the challenges since 2008); use your imaginations! Any crossover is welcome, but please post each drabble behind a cut, declare your wordcount, and tag appropriately. That makes counting them up so much easier on your mod!

Here is the available list of challenges:

Double trouble

A truth and a lie

Forgotten and remembered

Favorite things

Lost and found

Small favor

Charity

Hancock

Six degrees of crossing over

Horror movie monsters

Buyer's remorse

Snow

Stolen and freely given

Virtue and vice

Anniversary

Making do

Language

Tying the knot

Beating the heat

Minor character love

Beginnings and endings

Springing forward or falling back

Road trip

Mistaken identity

Be my valentine

Swifter, higher, stronger

Mythic adventures

Golden moments

Not again!

Gifts

Down for the count

Paperwork

Give me the microphone

That thing with feathers

So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen, adieu

Movie titles (from B:tVS and Angel-verse actors)

It isn't what it looks like!

Furniture

Out for a drive

Under the stars

Burning the candle at both ends

Three truths

The fiery passion of a thousand burning suns

Secrets

Dance

All's fair in love and war

Home sweet home

Lost in translation

And, here are the current standings, in order of participation:

faithburke: 13/6 drabbles, for 2100 words. **
tvashti: 11/6 drabbles, for 2100 words. **
beer_good_foamy: 2/6 drabbles, for 200 words.
avamclean: 6/6 drabbles, for 900 words. **
kerrykhat: 6/6 drabbles, for 1200 words. **
jerseyfabulous: 7/6 drabbles, for 1300 words. **
maevebran: 4/6 drabbles, for 600 words.
earcmacfithil: 6/6 drabbles, for 1100 words. **
graycardinal: 3/6 drabbles, for 300 words.
beatrice_otter: 12/6 drabbles, for 1500 words. **
kerravonsen: 7/6 drabbles, for 1200 words. **
rivulet027: 1/6 drabbles, for 200 words.

Happy drabbling! The Mod Birthday Drabblefest will end on MARCH 11.

#117 - A Meeting of Equals - B:tVS/Terra Nova

2012-03-05T17:50:54Z

title: A Meeting of Equals
word count: 200
fandom: Terra Nova
challenge: #117 - lost in translation
disclaimer: The words are mine; the worlds are not.
notes: Post-series for B:tVS; TN 1.5, "The Runaway". Sixth of a short series.

summary: The shrewd green gaze of the short blonde at Taylor's shoulder made Mira uneasy.

The shrewd green gaze of the short blonde at Taylor's shoulder made Mira uneasy. She seemed strangely familiar, though Mira couldn't place her.

No matter. Mira was sure the spy would uncover her identity. In the meantime, she was just another audience member for what was about to go down.

"Leah, look at me," she addressed the little infiltrator. "Tell them you want to come home. Speak!"

The girl reacted perfectly, looking pleadingly at Taylor and then latching on to his new cop as she declared herself a runaway. Mira replied with an exaggerated sneer, telling Taylor to keep her-- letting him feel like he'd won, just enough to let down his guard.

The blonde wasn't buying it, though. "In case anyone missed the translation?" she snorted. "That was Sixer for 'Mwahaha, my plan is working'."

Leah cringed like a mouse under a hawk's stare-- and Mira swore at the revealing gesture. Then she signaled her troops, abandoning Leah to Taylor's mercies.

The girl would keep her mouth shut about the box she'd been sent to steal if she knew what was good for her brother. And she might be useful yet. But for now... back to the drawing board.

Prompt 117: Lost in Translation

2012-03-04T23:47:34Z

Title: Translation Filters
Author: paburke
Cross: BBC Sherlock
Prompt 117: Lost in Translation
Part of the same ‘verse as Stepping on Toes & 221B Baker Street
Word Count: 200

People never said what they meant.

So John Watson worked around this by having different filters for different groups or individuals. The filter would help him translate peoples’ true intentions. People sometimes said the most horrible things without malice. He had a filter for Harry and one for Harry drunk, similar to the filter for drunks. He had a filter for patients, one for doctors and another one for tourists. He was quickly developing a filter for the MET.

His Sherlock-Filter was the one John used most for obvious reasons.

But now, as John saw the corpse displayed in a too familiar pattern, he realized that part of the Afghanistan filter –the supernatural part that he had purposefully forgotten in the desert- was going to be needed. He compared his supernatural filter against his Sherlock filter and realized Sherlock was unaware of the supernatural.

On one hand, if John told Sherlock about the supernatural, the genius would never be bored again.

On the other hand, John shuddered to imagine Sherlock’s experiments concerning the supernatural. Heavens, what would Sherlock store in the fridge?

For his own health and well-being, John decided that his Sherlock filter need not overlap his supernatural filter.

Title: Translation Filters II
Author: paburke
Cross: BBC Sherlock
Prompt 117: Lost in Translation
Part of the same ‘verse as Stepping on Toes & 221B Baker Street
Word Count: 200

The second dismembered body appeared on London streets and John was having flashbacks to Afghanistan. He was getting sloppy with his filters, starting to use the war filter instead of the MET filter. At least he wasn’t using the supernatural filter.

He wasn’t sure Sherlock was tearing enough of his attention away from his ‘fascinating’ case to realize that his roommate was going bonkers.

Then Oz and his blonde girlfriend showed up at the crime scene and took over. They made the cops pack up and leave but Sherlock was being stubborn. John just watched. Oz made a lot more sense through a supernatural filter. John remembered Oz’s innate gentleness and quiet humor and decided the supernatural didn’t matter. Oz was interesting and a potential friend, even if he was connected to the supernatural. Now he watched the girlfriend manipulate Sherlock with some degree of surprise.

“She’s got a psychology degree,” Oz informed him from the sidelines. “And she raised her younger sister.”

“She take patients?” John blurted out. The blonde would be a shrink with whom John could be totally honest and one that wouldn’t let Mycroft at her notes.

“Why not?”

John wasn’t sure how to interpret that.

Challenge 117 - Lost In Translation

2012-03-04T23:11:37Z

Title: Welcome to...
Word Count: 200
Fandom: BtVS/LotR
Challenge: #117 - Lost In Translation
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

As they took in their surroundings- and the other beings occupying those surroundings- the Scoobies had but one collective thought: this was NOT where they meant to be. Surprised or not, they swung into action like a well-oiled machine.

“Not that I mind a good melee, Red,” Faith managed to gasp in between opponents, “but just what the hell is going on? I thought we were supposed to be going to a peace conference.”

“Yeah, Wills,” Buffy chimed in, dispatching another demon with a single thrust and then whirling to deal with one who was too close to her sister for comfort. “This? Not very peaceable. Also, not very Londony.”

“Um…”

“Out with it, best bud o’ mine,” Xander said, recognizing the signs even as he dealt a lethal blow to something that had just tried to bite him.

“I think my transcription of the spell may have gotten mixed up with Andrew’s translation of Tolkien’s runes.”

“Meaning what, Willow?” Dawn demanded.

“I think instead of transporting us to London, I transported us to the Dark Lord’s lair.”

“So you’re saying-“

“Yeah. Welcome to Mordor.”

“Mordor like one does not simply walk into?” Xander yelped.

“Well, we didn’t exactly walk...”

Title: The Almost Right Word
Word Count: 100
Fandom: BtVS/Sherlock
Challenge: #117 - Lost In Translation
Disclaimer: I didn't create the characters, I'm just playing with them.

Dawn tried not to glare. John was right, the blame had to be divided equally here. Sherlock was not infallible, even in matters of pharmacology. From now on, she’d ask her other upstairs neighbor about headache cures.

But that still didn’t change the fact that she’d come very close to blowing up half of London. It was just lucky that she’d thought to double check the translation she’d done in her drug-addled state before casting the spell.

It was amazing what a difference a few misplaced Sumerian syllables could make in a summoning spell- the difference between apostrophe and apocalypse.