The Collected Memoirs of
an Insane Girl -- Introduction (revised version)
Since I often write like I draw (that is, only some of the time), it just came to me now that I'd like to try what I've done in my drawings -- that is, try out different styles. These things range in setting, style, and it depends on my warped sense of imagination and humor. No matter what I said, when I use cliche I'll probably turn it into something unrecognizable. It's not really a drabble container -- they vary too greatly in style, purpose, length, and genre. Indeed, some of these are true oneshots (or twoshots). But the problem is that I lack the courage to place them down, so I put them here.
This is really my version of my own playground. Some of them are not completed, and if not, they probably never will. You could also call this my workshop, as since starting this, I've gained a lot of writing skills and perspective from such exercise and experience. I've also learned that I write very differently under caffeine from without caffeine.
And finally, any writer reading these is free to steal ideas from me. I don't care if you credit or tell me or not. Some of these are meant to break and rewrite cliche, or just in general, spawn more fic.
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The Collected Memoirs of an Insane Girl
Notes: Somewhat heavy on the description, lower on the humor. The quote is just because that's what occured to me when I was thinking of how literary Jiraiya's books might be. I happen to like these kinds of AU stories... if only because it's like reading more soap operas and romance novels... or something. Basically, who needs BL novels when you have fandom? And I've been itching to write something more romantic or at least angsty or pairing-like for a while now...
Stage 01: むこうは東、とすればジュリエットは太陽。 (It is the East, and Juliet is the Sun!)
"Take me now," he breathed as he lifted his arms up to his lover, to the face and the strong arms that held him close, to the one that he held him dear--
The voice that interrupted the scene was flat. "It's nice to see that you're having fun, little brother, but I would appreciate it if you kept your little fantasies to yourself."
Itachi had walked into his brother's room to see him lying on his bed on his stomach with his legs dangling over the edge/reciting/ the most famous lines from the first Icha Icha Paradise novel. It wasn't just that the boy seemed to be testing his drama skills out in the privacy of his room with questionable material (moreso in that he was underage), but that he was reciting them to his audience, Naruto, who was sitting on the floor with another copy, diligently? trying to follow along.
"It's not my fault! Kakashi is making me read this!" For lack of better explanation, that was true. Sasuke just couldn't find enough composure at being caught reading /Icha Icha Paradise/ (with Naruto, of all people), to say that it was really a joint effort between the two perverts, Jiraiya and Kakashi, to get Naruto to improve his reading skills. Sasuke, being who he was, was simply blackmailed into helping Naruto.
After the first several pages, awkward false starts, arguments, and all-out fights, the two boys worked out a system in the readings -- Sasuke would read one page, Naruto would read the next, and it would switch back. If there was anything Naruto couldn't understand, Sasuke would try his best to explain... as long as it wasn't perverted.
"Why is it called raiment? Why couldn't they just say clothes?" "How come the sky is always described as purple, when it's red?" "How come he's pouring his own drink? Why doesn't she pour his?" "What do flowers blooming have to do with her age?"
Apparently, there was a lot that Naruto didn't know, even at sixteen.
Of course, the scene that Itachi originally walked in on wasn't actually done in a man's role, but a woman's. It was just that Naruto couldn't imagine any /girl/ doing that sort of role with Sasuke reading out the main protagonist's lines like that. Sure, if you tilted your head sideways and had the lighting down low enough, he could look the part, but Sasuke always had the deeper voice... and Naruto wasn't about to stoop to acting out a girl's voice. So they both just used their normal range when reading it out loud. It helped that Sasuke had a pleasant voice to listen to.
Naturally, Itachi wasn't convinced and (almost) looked amused. "And he's the reason why you're wooing the object of your childhood crush with such... literature?"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
There really wasn't much more that Sasuke could do besides scream and throw the book at the closing door. After all, Itachi knew even before Sasuke /himself/ did that he had always admired and adored the bright-haired boy. Still, as Sasuke was always a sourpuss and somewhat of a brat... it wasn't completely obvious. And to the point that Itachi wondered how they were even related, the youngest Uchiha had no finesse at all. Despite what he just said, the boy couldn't woo if his life depended on it. (It was a good thing it didn't, though.)
Still, Naruto was none the wiser as he ran off with the mumbled excuse that he needed to find out if Itachi knew where that one quote came from. Sasuke sighed as he picked the book off the floor and marked the appropriate page with a ribbon.
"Take me now."
"As the one that loves you, take me now..."
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The color purple, murasaki, is oftentimes used to describe a sunset. From what I read somewhere (I think it was in a kogo jiten), murasaki used to, in ancient times, refer to more of a reddish color.
The first version of the title came from Nakano Yoshio translation of Romeo and Juliet. The second version comes from the Odashima Yuushi translation version. Before you ask why, I've been collecting stuff on Romeo and Juliet, even though I've never been good with Shakespeare. I'm still looking for one of the companion reader kinds of things in English, telling all the notes and meanings of words. I'm hoping to mess around with a translation of Romeo and Juliet into classical, although it'd be more accurate to translate it into Genroku-period language. I'm rambling.