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English
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Part 6 of Monthly Prompts for 2018 , Part 9 of POI Drabblefics
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2018-08-01
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100
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1/1
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August Zooms In

Summary:

Time to give some love to the little guys!

Notes:

Everybody's always focused on the main characters: Harold and John, Shaw and Root, Carter and Fusco, Zoe and Leon. Elias and Marconi. Logan, Joey, and Harper Rose.

And these fics are great, don't get me wrong. But it's time to take a look at the characters who didn't get the chance to star in more than one episode. The side characters that caught your eye; the numbers that made you think.

So for this month's prompt, pick your favorite character who was in only one episode, and give them a little love. Craft a story explaining where they're coming from, what their life is like. Or where they're going, what they do after the case is over. They could be an innocent victim who deserves a little more time in the spotlight. Or they could be a sadistic perpetrator, but maybe you can make their actions more understandable in context.

If you could use a little more direction, feel free to make use of my Five Moments of (Nonsexual) Intimacy fic format. It's a good way to consider some distinct aspects of a character's life or relationships.

Bonus points if you include my favorite one-shot character, Anton O'Mara, or the "awesome catfight ladies" from the episode Get Carter. I will also accept fills for either Claire Mahoney or Jeffrey Blackwell; both got more than one episode, but I feel like they got the short end of the stick, partly due to the short fifth season (Claire was definitely built up to have a larger plot, and poor Jeffrey… pulled into a world he didn't understand, and then killed for it).

Note: The drabble below is a short version of the fic I'll be publishing at the same time; I felt like the full work deserved its own title.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

The hobo’s grip is tight on his throat, crushing, unrelenting.

The hair and beard fall away, and the lips curl up -- not a snarl, but a friendly grin.

Hey, Anton! Good to see you again.

The eyes are the same.

It’s the same man.

 

Anton wakes with a choked-off cry, terror washing over him in waves.

The stranger knows his name. Came and found him. Knows where he lives.

He curls himself into the corner beside the bed, wanting to cry out for help. But he just turns his face into the side of the mattress and muffles his sobs.

Notes:

Alternative Prompt: You know what I love? Traitors. Turncoats. Unexpected opposition from within your own team.

But I also love redemption plots. Heel-Face Turns. Unexpected allies or help from the group you expected to harm you. Doesn't even have to be a full redemption -- in Harry Potter, at a crucial moment, a worried mother on the villain's side simply gives the villain the wrong information. Were it not for her deception, Harry wouldn't have won the day.

So the alternate prompt for August is to write a fic where a "good guy" turns against the group, or a "bad guy" turns good or somehow offers aid. For those interested in storytelling decks, this is one aspect of the Sycophant card from TheCards.com, which deals with false praise but also surprising allies.

Also acceptable: Unexpected help from a random guard, bystander, or similar character who is not a villain but normally wouldn't be expected to help.

Last month, I forgot to sum these up, but:

May's prompt is still unfulfilled. I know it's tiny, but the concept of a disrupted routine seems like it could lead in any number of directions. (It doesn't, technically, need to use the same phrase I created: “It shouldn’t be a big deal, it’s just that… well… I’ve gotten so used to doing it the other way.”)

June's prompt… aw, man! I really thought I made an interesting prompt that time (John drugging Harold, reasoning up to the author). I'll extend the deadline for two more months (end of September). I'll be writing up at least a page of follow-up, because I did get a fill for the Alternate Prompt from oddgit, but it'd be nice if at least a couple people crafted something from the main prompt as well.

July's prompt is, of course, ongoing, and has a longer deadline than the rest, though if you get a project done by my birthday (August 31st) then it counts double. Filling the prompt grants you the right to propose a fan art prompt and a short podfic suggestion, as well as voting on which of my projects I should focus on in the upcoming months. There's already one fill, from lisagarland, so I'll be weighing her votes a little heavier (The Toll and Nippitaty are her favorites at the moment).

My birthday? Oh, right, it's my birthday again! And it's the one that everybody makes a big deal out of (40), though I don't feel that much like it's a big deal for me. I do feel like I've gotten a lot done in the past year, so that much pleases me ^_^

Last year, I was thrilled to receive five presents in the form of fills for my Birthday Prompt, which I posted on the 17th. This year, look for my prompt somewhere between the 15th and the 17th. It's gonna be a little fluffier than last time, but the principle still holds: I want to wake up on my birthday to see a bunch of variations on the same idea. But you'll have to wait until halfway through the month to find out what the prompt is!