!!! These have lots of pairings, with lots of characters, though I tend to favor Hope and Snow.
The challenge -
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
So.... I choose FFXIII. All manner of parings/characters are below. And I didn't use my music because I accidentally erased my hard drive, I just plugged a song into Pandora and let 'er rip.
I'm wholly aware that there are some thing that might not be true to the game in these drabbles. Don't hold it against me - I haven't finished the game and I'm just going by my imagination. Like Pulse? I don't even know if you go there. This is all made up like WOWZA.
Reviews are appreciated/loved/huggled/held close to my heart!!! [[ read it in 3/4 or 1/2 please! ]]
[001] - I'm Yours by Jason Mraz [snow x serah]
Snow thinks back on the first time he ever saw Serah. Back then, she was always glued to her sister, the strong and stoic Lightning. It had been a cool night in Bodhum, the sort that tempted lovers of all ages out to the beach hand in hand.
He watched them for a few minutes in the Bodhum beach café before gathering up the courage to ask Serah for a dance. The second Lightning got up for one reason or another, Snow was next to Serah in a flash, that goofy cockeyed grin on his face.
"Would you like to dance?"
[002] - Better Together by Jack Johnson [snow x hope]
How can a kid get so strong so fast?
It took a long time for Hope to finally warm up to Snow, but when he did, the change was drastic. The night that Hope peeled Snow's gloves off and put them on over his own small hands stuck out in Snow's memory vividly.
They had stayed up longer than anyone else that night, mostly in silence, but sometimes one of them would say a few words. When Hope had looked up at Snow shortly after the flames of the campfire went out, Snow was already half-asleep.
"I'm never going to be as big as you," Hope grumbled, the tips of his lithe fingers barely reaching into the fingers of the huge leather gloves.
"You'll get there eventually, kid," Snow chuckled in response.
"No I won't," Hope whispered back, pulling off the gloves and dropping them to the ground, "I'm a L'cie, remember?"
[003] Slide by The Goo Goo Dolls [Vanille-centric]
Vanille peered over the edge of the cliff and gasped to herself. It was a long fall, even considering all they'd been through. Just one step though, and it was all over. No more Fal'cie, no more talk of turning to crystal or monsters.
She sat down on the edge, letting her feet swing down against the rough stone wall.
It was hard to smile these days. Just when everyone was finding their hopes and opening their hearts to one other, Vanille was coming to the realization that she was more alone than anyone else. Since the beginning, she'd been trying to convince herself that life was worth living, but those reasons were thinning out so quickly these days...
[004] Put Your Records On by Corrine Bailey Rae [Lightning-centric]
Calming water. Whispering palm leaves. Gritty sand and sweltering heat.
Lightning hated the beach. She loved the relaxed atmosphere, but every time she set foot on the sand with Serah, she regretted it. Serah had managed, for once, to convince her to leave her weapons at home, but she had insisted on leaving her armor on.
When a ball flew into Lightning's peripheral vision suddenly, it took all her will power not to pull the jackknife hidden in her boot out and pop it.
"Hey, I'm sorry!" a youth called as he ran towards her, "I told my friends not to hit it so hard but they never listen."
A few seconds of awkward silence passed as the boy picked up the ball and then stood staring at Lightning.
"... Well?" she finally asked, obviously running low on patience, "What is it?"
"Would you... will you join us? It's lots of fun."
Lightning really did pull the knife out from her boot this time and she embedded it swiftly into the ball in one fluid motion. The boy didn't even have a chance to blink.
"I was going to, but it seems your ball has deflated," she said dryly before calling to her little sister, "Serah, we're leaving!"
[005] Crazy for this Girl by Evon and Jaron [Snow x Serah]
Snow gritted his teeth and continued chiseling at the diamond crystals nestled around Serah like flowers upon the warm earth. His hands throbbed and he could feel the blisters forming beneath his gloves from the prolonged tight grip he had on the rod.
iHow the hell did I get here? How did this happen, Serah, I miss you so much.../i
When he finally took a rest, he couldn't hold back the tears any longer. This situation had become so hopeless so quickly and no one would never even know how it started. He looked over to his crystalized fiancé and she moved, her skin losing it's blue hue and regaining its warmth once again. Serah was alive!
Snow jerked awake with a harsh gasp and scrambled over to Serah's form. Blue crystal, hard as the hardest stone and as blue as the sky. The dream had ended.
"I'll save you Serah, I promise!"
With an animalistic growl, Snow forced his body into motion again, lifting up the heavy rod and bringing it up to strike over and over again.
[006] Bottle It Up by Sara Bareilles [Snow x Hope | Snow x Serah]
The further south one travels on Pulse, the longer the nights get until it seems as if the world is in a constant slumber. It's harder to keep moving when it's always cold and leaving a fire on too long will attract monsters.
Snow kept a bottle of secret whiskey tucked into his jacket for times like this, but it wasn't until this particular night that he really put a dent into it. On this night- when he and Hope were the only ones still awake. On a night when the stars seemed a little dimmer and the night a little colder because faster than anyone else, they were losing their faith.
"What are you drinking?" Hope finally asked after Snow's pale skin had adopted a hazy pink undertone.
Snow hiccuped and passed him the canteen of nearly pure alcohol with a ,"Drink up, kid. You won't find shit this good back home." iIf we ever even make it back home./i
The amber liquid burned and burned and Hope almost spat it out, but he forced himself to swallow for the sheer heat of it. They got closer after that, passing the bottle back and forth until Hope nearly spilled it into the dirt that served as their bed.
"We'll save the rest for another time," Snow slurred, pulling Hope into a loose embrace as he laid down, "It'll be warmer this way."
Hope knew the truth though, Snow just wanted someone he could pretend was Serah, if even for a moment.
[007] You and I Both by Jason Mraz [Sazh-centric]
Sanctum. Cocoon. Eden.
What a waste of energy. Lightning wanted revenge for her sister, for her losses, but she only knew the tip of the iceberg. Sure, the world was messed up, but was it worth killing everyone?
Sazh let himself fall behind the group as they all trudged along the face of Pulse, all trudging along after their fearless leader.
"That girl is mad as a hatter," Sazh muttered under his breath, "Knew it from the moment I met her. Started shooting up that train... Damn, man. This is ridiculous."
He didn't notice how far he had been lagging behind until he nearly ran directly into Vanille, sitting at the edge of the tall ravine they'd been navigating.
"Vanille! Kid, what are you doing?" Sazh muttered, "C'mon, let's catch up. We don't want Lightning gettin' on our cases this early in the morning. She's already mad enough at Snow for intoxicating that kid last night."
Vanille didn't hear him, not really, but she followed him anyhow. There wasn't much to do anymore but put one foot in front of the other and hope the ground before you didn't disappear.
[008] Clocks by Coldplay [Lightning-centric]
Pulse is immense. It's so much bigger than anyone ever thought it was, and so beautiful. On any other occasion, I could lose myself in the wilderness, the sheer savage life of it. I've spent so many years taking care of Serah and keeping everyone out of trouble and now that it's over, I just want to return to the planet.
They'll call me crazy. I know they already do behind my back, but I don't care anymore. Let them believe what they want. I was never meant to be tamed, not in the way they all are with their comforts and their machines and fear.
Vanille will want to come with me, Hope too, but I won't let them. I'll go in the night and leave everyone behind for good. I was never meant for this world anyway, I never wanted to live in a place with so many people. I want to feel the brutal rain and the cruel wind, I want to live free.
They don't need me anymore and there's no way for me to say goodbye. I'll return back home for good this time, back to Pulse.
[009] Lulliby by Regina Spektor [Cid-centric]
"It's easy to tell right from wrong," Snow had said, "You've just gotta listen! How can you think this is all right?!"
Cid kicked off his boots and let his military uniform drop to the floor before changing into something more comfortable. His gaze traveled over to the window and he looked out to Eden and Cocoon and Pulse. Who was to say what was right or wrong? The common people were scared, weren't they? The only reason Snow was so adamant was Serah, otherwise all this mess would have gone unnoticed.
"It's never easy," Cid whispered, "I want to do this as much as you, Snow. All we have now is fear. The fear of death, the fear of life. All we have is now and it isn't fair, but..."
His outstretched hand traced the shape of Eden against his window.
"Somehow, the end doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would."
[010] Speeding Cars by Imogen Heap [Snow x Hope]
Snow let Hope stay with him because he was worried for the boy's well-being. It wasn't because he liked having the kid around, fodder to be protected. It wasn't because he needed someone to depend on him. He just didn't want the kid to wander off alone. That's what he told himself every night when Hope curled into his warm embrace. The words that meshed around in his head when Hope woke up short of breath from nightmares of his mother dying.
Long ago, Snow came to the conclusion that he couldn't help anyone, not really. Not even himself. All he could do these days was keep Hope safe until the end came. Hope, the third person he'd failed. The first had been Serah, and the second Lightning.
He wouldn't fail this time, not with this new strength and the will of a Pulse L'cie. This time, he'd keep Hope safe.
A quiet murmur pulled Snow from his thoughts and he let the youth nuzzle further into his chest. It was getting colder these days and there wasn't much left to keep them warm, not in these places. The sun had stopped shining on them long ago.
Soo... I had lots of fun doing this. I'm thinking about turning a couple of them into full-length stories, so tell me what you think. =-)