He hears the sound of bells - many little bells. They don't sound like the big cathedral bells he has heard a few times in New York. As he watches, a horse, his harness covered with small bells, trots by, pulling a cab full of laughing tourists snuggling under blankets. However, even after they've turned the corner, Hiro can still hear small bells. A Salvation Army Santa rings his bell, calling to the people to help the poor. A woman wears a hat with a bell that bobs up and down as she strides down the sidewalk. Even music filtering from the stores ring.

Hiro doesn't know why he's in New York, except that maybe he wants to see how Americans celebrate Christmas. In Tokyo it's about gifts and lights and Santa hats and it doesn't look so different here. People scurry around, desperately trying to finish their shopping or triumphantly taking the last of their gifts home. The windows of stores are brightly decorated with lights and Christmas displays, trying to entice the consumers.

And over all of the cars and people, he can still hear the cheerful jingling of bells. It's such a joyous sound that he can't help but watch the chaos around him with a smile on his face.

Muse: Hiro Nakamura
Fandom: Heroes
Word count: 208

Old and new – it’s all a matter of perspective, just a matter of in which moment you stand in time and stare out at the world around you. Everything is new when you’re a child – and everyone around you is old. Then you grow up and you realise that everything has been done before and you’re all just here for a moment, infants in comparison to the world you’re borrowing for the little time you’re here.

He’s eight years old – the world is still new and the people in it still seem insufferably old. Bruce Wayne, age eight, knows about old – he lives in one of the oldest cities in the country and he lives in one of the oldest houses in that city. Wayne Manor stands as testimony to the people who have lived in it before him, they grace the walls with their stern faces, their history is embedded in every room, their stories attached to each piece of furniture.

Bruce imagines that at night when the contemporary of the Wayne’s have fallen asleep that these ancestors emerge from their gilded prisons and dine on the china they once ate from and drink from the crystal that had been a wedding present however many generations ago. At night when the new Wayne’s sleep the old Wayne’s dance in the ballroom and Bruce imagines he can hear their laughter through the walls. It scares him sometimes and his mother laughs.

“Old houses make noises, Bruce.” She tells him. “It’s nothing to be frightened of. They’re just telling you a story, that’s why the floors creak and the windows shake, they’re trying to tell you about everything they’ve seen before, they’re trying to make you listen.”
( Read more... )


Bruce Wayne
Batman
Word Count: 1340

It occurs to him after the woman- a tanner’s daughter, or perhaps the butcher’s wife- pushed the bit of bread into his hands that it is the first time he’s eaten since they began to clear out the Lower towns. When the jug of water passes; it tastes from the iron it’s served from and he realizes they do not recognize him. A man across from him is telling dirty jokes; looking at him curiously because he does not laugh.

Uther has a private smile as he tears into the food. He wonders if his appearance has altered much without crown and mantle. There is still a sword at his side but the people can dismiss it quickly. They are concerned with his hands and back- both of which do the work that’s needed easily enough. It makes the people content to ignore him, and he’s grateful for it. He doubts he’d have the patience for their questions anyhow.

( spoilers for Merlin 2x12, and 2x13 )

Uther Pendragon
Merlin
555

I've seen so many different types of weather. From pouring rain that could soak you in seconds, to heat so hot you feel as if your flesh is melting right off the bone. There are specific moments though that I can remember exactly how the weather was.

The day I married Teri. There was a nice breeze, on a perfect sunny day. She looked so beautiful, brighter the sun shining down on us through the windows. The smile on her face when I lifted the veil brightened my life. When she died it was dark, but people I met brought light back to it bit by bit.

The moment I found out I was going to be a father. I was away as usual, and got the call. There was a light rain outside, I could hear it tapping on the roof. Watched it drip down over the awning in front of the small window. I remember feeling like through all the rain it was sunny right where I stood.


The day Kim was born, it was so sunny. I rushed to get to the hospital, I was all sweaty because I literally ran. I got there too late to see her birth but there she was in my wife's arms. So tiny and perfect and I swear it got brighter that day, that first moment I fell in love with that little girl.

Jack Bauer
24
234 Words

There isn't much to say, then again I am a man of a few words. Name's Jack Bauer, and I work for CTU. For those who don't know what CTU means, Counter Terrorist Unit, we fight the really bad guys. I'll talk, sometimes, we'll see how things go.

ooc I bring you The Bauer from 24. He's current all through season 7, and will follow right along with season 8. For now him walking around has been all AU, we'll see what happens in season 8 canon and what I end up changing as it does start soon. He's open to interaction, and I'm nice and talk to everyone even if the muse is moody a lot.

The topic for the week of 25 - 31 December 2009 is:

Jingle.

1. Put current season TV spoilers behind a cut.
2. Your post must be a minimum of 150 words to count towards your community membership.
3. Put posts longer than 450 words behind a cut.
4. Put the topic number and/or text in the subject header of your post.
5. Sign your post with your muse's full name and fandom.

Reminder: To remain current, you must have answered at least one of Topics #312, 313, 314 and 315 by December 31st.

Raven looked at the package on the bed. She didn't want to open it, why after all this time would HE send HER a gift. She closed her eyes, so hard to push back feelings that she wanted nothing to do with why did he always have this effect on her? He wasn’t even in front of her, why was she so nervous over the contents of a stupid box. A stupid box covered in red paper and a simple little tag. Why? Because he was an asshole. He knew how he affected her, knew he would shake her to her core.

She wouldn't cry oh no, she wouldn't no matter how much he wanted her too. Her red nail tapped on the name tag: to Leni. When they were together she had went by Leni Zauber, they were both sent to kill the other. Too bad they had fallen in love with each other, well at least she had god knows what Victor had felt. She closed her eye a lone tear escaping from her yellow eyes. The pain of leaving him in that cabin, still stabbing at her heart.

Raven angrily ripped at the paper opening the gift, the paper falling around her. Once open her breath caught in her throat, staring back at her was a lighter a gift she had given him with her name etched in the silver. A note fell out of the box-when your ready I'll be here.

Did he mean it? This old lighter meant the world to him, she smiled maybe she would take him up on that. Anyways he need this lighter back he was a horrible smoker and maybe just maybe she would have something new for him.

289 words
Raven Darkholme/Mystique
Xmen misc. comics

Write about a memorable family meal

( Nothing like a good old fashioned family meal to make you feel more grown up than your supposed parents. )

Muse : Lee "Apollo" Adama
Fandom : Battlestar Galactica
Word Count : 553

Well, one time my cousin Clark took me to meet his good friend Bruce Wayne in Gotham. ( Read more... )

muse: superboy / kon-el
fandom: teen titans
word count: 206

All of our family meals are memorable these days, particularly if we go out to a restaurant. There's a Czech/Russian place near our apartment that we tend to go to if we don't have special plans, and Jean-Paul likes to practice saying "borscht". ( Read more... )

muse: cypher / doug ramsey
fandom: x-men
word count: 223

( It's the closest they can come to paying their respects. )

Muse: John Connor
Fandom: Terminator series/The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Word Count: 360

Write about a memorable family meal.

The question sticks in Tosh's mind for longer than it should. The answer isn't immediately forthcoming, and that upsets her. She was close to her parents. She still misses them every day. So why, then, can't she think of a memorable family meal? Or a particular event at all, even? Why are her memories so empty when it comes to her parents? The people who gave birth to her and raised her and made her who she is...

But all she can think about is that last moment when her mother was in front of her being tortured by the terrorists who had demanded her services. When they were all holding their heads, screaming in pain. That's the last memory Tosh has of her mother, before UNIT arrested her with the intent of holding her as a terrorist conspirator for the rest of her life, before Jack came to save her, before Torchwood. She hasn't seen her parents since. A letter or two written, but they've never been near each other since. The price of it all.

Her team is her family now. To that end she supposes a memorable family meal is a couple of pizzas picked up and brought back to the Hub. And that will have to do. Somehow, in some way, it's enough.

Muse: Toshiko Sato
Fandom: Torchwood
Verse: General/Any
Words: 217

Uh, that's like all of them. Seriously. Dinner in my family is an experience. There's always a story to tell, whether it's something that happened at the restaurant, or something that I did at work. It only gets weirder if any of my friends have been invited over. Brendan is never short of some weird story to tell, usually of his own making.

But that's the way it should be, you know? You want to sit down with the people you love and have something to talk about. You want to have something interesting happening in your life. It's those little anecdotes and happenings that make daily life worthwhile. All those big moments don't come along but once in awhile (nor should they), so if you don't find something special in the little things? Well, you're kind of screwed. Talking to my family and hearing all those little things is always memorable. It's all part of our lives together and to me, that makes it worth knowing.

...Yeah, I'm sentimental.

Randy Bosch
Original Character
170 Words

ooc: Set Christmas eve night. jkhellion used with permission and LOVE

There was twenty minutes left on the timer. Twenty minutes and then the lasagna would be finished and everything would be perfect. Or as close to perfect as Sally Blevins could manage. She had the table set. James and Yana were both away from the apartment until ten. And Sally was already in the Santa's helper outfit she'd bought from Victoria's Secret earlier in the month.

Now if only Julian would listen and stay in the damn bedroom so the surprise wouldn't be ruined.

"I'm coming out," he muttered and Sally held onto the door's knob.

"You are NOT!" She made sure to extend her shield to move around the other side of the door and make it too slippery for him to open. "Finish your Baywatch Christmas special!"

"I need something to drink."

Sally rolled her eyes and sat back down at the table, flipping through a magazine. "Get water from the sink!"

( I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true All I want for Christmas is...You )

Sally Blevins/Skids
X-Men
628

Neal, his son was having a rather bad night it seemed. He was trying to quiet him down, seeing as he was trying to let Stark sleep. He walked rocking him, but that didn't seem to help. He had changed him, given him a bottle, and for awhile there he was feeling like he was failing as a father. Maybe he wasn't good at this, and he sighed.

"Come on Neal, what's wrong little man?"

He smiled seeing as all he got was little gurgling sounds. He kissed his tiny forehead and began making faces down at him, delighted to hear the giggles. He laid him down, blowing raspberries on his son's tiny stomach. Just happy to hear the squeals of laughter, instead of the louder squeals of crying.

"Daddy loves you very much Neal."

He chuckled as a tiny hand reached up and grabbed hold of his nose. Kissing his forehead he sat down with him, telling him stories about the brother he'd never meet. Telling him how much Luke loved riding a bike, or playing baseball. He smiled watching Neal reach up for him smiling, wiggling around. It was always the sound of his voice it seemed that did the trick. He was just like his mother when it came to that, both loved the sound of his voice and it could cheer them up most times.

John Doggett - The X-Files - 229 Words

Mom was never one for cooking. I'm not saying she was a bad cook; she was actually very good. But she never did any really "big" meals, except one: Christmas breakfast.

Mom always went all out for Christmas breakfast. For one morning a year, the cereal and the oatmeal stayed in the cupboard. First we would open presents in front of the Christmas tree. Then Daddy and I would sit in the living room while Mom cooked, either reading together or playing the piano together (although the smells wafting in from the kitchen sometimes made it hard to concentrate). After what seemed like forever Mom would call us into the dining room to eat.

The food Mom prepared was always the same: eggs, with pancakes and sausage for me and steak and toast for her and Daddy. Mom always made my pancakes into Mickey Mouse pancakes and scrambled my eggs. Her eggs were always over easy, and Daddy always had an omelet. And Daddy always had his coffee, while Mom and I had orange juice.

I still remember the last Christmas breakfast we had together. I remember having Mr. Puck sitting on my lap as I ate, and how I pretended to "feed" him pancakes and eggs. Mom thought that it was cute, how I pretended that Mr. Puck was a real person.

Sometimes I wish that I could use the Return to the Past program to go back and, if not warn my parents about what was to come then at least to have one last Christmas breakfast with both of them.

Muse: Aelita
Fandom: Code Lyoko
Word count: 263

Why not blue? That is what this is, right? The Bride's poem -- something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a six pence in your shoe.

First of all, it is very horribly out dated. Not just because six pence don't exist anymore, or at least they are antiques or all, collectibles, Bruce has one I'm sure, and Tony -- or no, Norman annexed it, I suppose ... this isn't the point. The point is

a) six pence is no longer in circulation
b) women are generally not sold into marriage anymore

I said generally, don't yell at me or quote statistics. I'm talking about America. Generally.

I don't like this topic.

Anyway, ignoring sixpence entirely because not everyone knows that part anyway -- why not blue? Maybe I don't have anything old or new or borrowed to talk about. I hate 'what's new' almost as much as 'how are you'. Hate is too strong a word. Point being does anyone ever really want the answer? Or listen to the answer? Or, conversely, give an answer?

Nothing's new. Nothing I particularly feel like talking about to anyone still listening.

And old is depressing.

And borrowed, I don't have that either.

I don't even have blue.

Katie's eyes are blue.

Any comments here, thank you.
Muse: Lorna Dane
Fandom: X-Men
Word Count: 210